Taper-Loc system improvements

ABSTRACT

An improved base shoe for use with panel installation removal systems. The improved base shoe includes dovetail grooves for use with a safety-seal and a weather seal, wherein the safety-seal and weather seal must be installed prior to installing a glass panel. The improved base shoe features a recess for use with taper plates having a continuous projection along an upper surface. The base shoe and taper plates are configured so as to provide a prying surface between the projection on the taper plates and a wall of the base shoe.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/788,616 entitled Taper-Loc System Improvements, filed Oct.19, 2017, (expected to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 10,934,743 on Mar. 2,2021), and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/411,347,titled “Taper-Loc System Improvements,” filed Oct. 21, 2016, both ofwhich are incorporated in their entirety by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to panel installation andremoval systems and more particularly to improvements to the panelinstallation and removal system described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,654(“the '654 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,201,366 (“the '366 patent”), thecommercial embodiments of which are referred to as the “Taper-Loc”system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Glass panel railing systems are used in commercial spaces and homes, andfrequently are desired due to an attractive appearance derived fromtransparent or translucent properties. They typically are used as guardrails for walk ways in the proximity of commercial facilities and asbarriers at the edges of physical drop offs for the protection ofpedestrians, as well as for partitioning interior spaces in commercialbuildings. Known glass panel systems include vertical panels and a baseshoe assembly. The bottom edges of the panels are installed in the baseshoe assembly while the top edges may support a top rail or handrail.Installation of the bottom edges of glass panels into a base shoeassembly however can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming.

Prior to the development of the Taper-Loc system as described in the'654 and '366 patents, glass panel installation systems and methodologysuffered from a number of disadvantages. Some systems required cement tohold the panels in place in a base shoe. Due to the quick setting natureof the cement, often installers lacked sufficient time to place thepanels in a base shoe, align the panels and ensure that the cementmaintained a smooth and attractive appearance. Another drawback of thissystem was that adjustments to a panel's final position were essentiallyimpossible after the cement had set.

Other commonly employed systems involved driving a wedge vertically intoa base shoe, typically using a hammer and punch, and thereby wedging theglass panel into the base shoe. Systems of this type however, lacked aprecise way to control the degree of clamping force used to secure apanel in the base shoe. Moreover, the base shoe's decorative cladding qwas prone to damage during insertion of the wedge and particularlyduring any attempted removal of the wedge for adjustment of the glasspanel or replacement. In addition, an errant blow of the hammer coulddamage either the glass panel, base shoe or both.

With the development of the Taper-Loc system as described in the '654and '366 patents, the problems associated with the prior art systems forinstalling glass panels in a base shoe were largely eliminated.Essentially, the Taper-Loc system comprises a base shoe or rail,spacers, a glass panel and taper plates. The components as depicted inthe patents may be described as follows. The base shoe comprises a railfor holding a glass panel. The base shoe is in the form of an aluminumc-channel style extrusion with relatively thick side walls. Set withinthe channel of the base shoe against one wall and the floor of thechannel are spacers. The spacers are typically set within the shoe atintervals along the length of the base shoe. The spacers are made ofplastic and serve to prevent the glass panel from directly contactingthe aluminum wall or bottom surface of the base shoe. The spacers may beattached to the base shoe by means of double-sided adhesive tape.

The taper plates are tapered plates that are designed to engage at theirthinnest ends and slide against each other such that the combinedthickness of the plates increases as the plates engage along theirlength. The maximum combined thickness of the plates is achieved whenthe plates are fully overlapping. The plates include projection tabsthat allow them to be used with a special tool which both drives theplates together upon installation of a glass panel in a base shoe andalso functions to separate the plates in the event a shoe or panelrequires replacement. The taper plates will typically be fabricated fromsteel or aluminum, but other metallic materials and some plasticmaterials are also suitable.

In a typical assembly, the spacers are glued at intervals to the baseshoe, a glass panel is inserted in the shoe and rests upon and againstthe spacers. A pair of taper plates, where one pair of taper platescorresponds to each spacer, are located on the opposite side of theglass panel, and are positioned in the shoe with the thin edges of theplates partially overlapping. A side of one of the taper plates contactsthe wall of the glass panel, whereas a side of the other taper platecontacts the wall of the shoe. The shoe-side taper plate is stationary.When the taper plates are driven together, the glass-side plate slidesalong the length of the stationary shoe-side plate.

As the taper plates are driven to their fully overlapped configuration,compressive force builds up between the taper plates, glass panel,spacer and the walls of the base shoe so as to secure the base shoe tothe glass panel. Thereafter, press-in seals are typically installed onboth sides of the base shoe to glass plate interface.

Though the above-described Taper-Loc system has dramatically improvedupon the systems of the prior art, certain drawbacks of the system havebeen uncovered during use. In particular, installers will often installa base shoe, glass panel and rail assembly while saving the task ofinstalling weather seals on the base shoe to seal the shoe to glasspanel interface or seam as the last part of the installation job. Thisoften results in installers leaning out over an installed rail assembly,without wearing a safety harness, to press in the outboard weather seal,thus creating a potentially unsafe condition where an installer couldpotentially fall over a rail and sustain injury.

Another issue that has been observed on job sites is that installershave discovered that when it is desired to remove a base shoe from aglass panel, the insertion force of the taper plates upon initialinstallation causes the base shoe-side taper plate to stick to the baseshoe and become quite difficult to remove from the base shoe. The use ofsilicone sealant at the taper plate interface, as some installers arewant to do, compounds this problem. The problem may significantlyincrease the time required by installers to replace base shoes or glasspanels on a job site.

What is needed therefore is a revised base shoe that requires at leastone weather seal to be installed prior to the installation of a glasspanel in the shoe and thereby eliminate problem where some installersincur safety risks by leaning out over an installed rail assembly forthe purpose of installing a press-in outboard whether seal. It wouldalso be desirable to provide a revised taper plate and base shoe designthat includes provisions for removing a previously installed taper platewhich is adhered or stuck to a wall of the base shoe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The improved base shoe or rail of the present invention features adovetail groove formed into an interior face of an outboard verticalside wall of the base shoe. The dovetail groove allows for the use of aweather seal configured with two projections which engage the interiorside walls of the dovetail groove. Due to the nature of this design, theoutboard weather seal must be inserted into the dovetail groove prior tothe insertion of the glass pane into the base shoe, i.e. the weatherseal cannot be inserted, or at least is quite difficult to insert, inthe base shoe after installation of the glass panel. This design isadvantageous from a safety viewpoint because it requires the outboardweather seal to be installed prior to installation of the glass paneland therefore eliminates safety risk, i.e. the risk of falling, thatoccurs when installers reach over an installed railing to installpress-in seals at the outboard glass panel to base shoe interface.

Another improvement to the base shoe and taper plate assembly of thepresent invention regards replacing the plurality of spacers used atintervals on the base shoe with a continuous setting strip which wouldserve the function of the spacers, i.e. preventing contact between theglass panel and the interior face of the outboard wall of the base shoe.Universal setting block tape strips have also been added to attach thesetting block to the base shoe and the glass panel to the setting block.The continuous setting strip and tape strips provide increasedefficiency in installation by eliminating the need to glue in placenumerous individual spacers.

The improved base shoe and taper plates of the present invention furtherimprove upon the prior art by presenting a taper plate design thatfeatures a continuous projection or tab along a top surface of the taperplate where the projection rests upon a recess formed into an interiorface of an inboard vertical side wall of the base shoe. The taper plate,equipped with the projection, and the depth of the recess in the baseshoe, are configured such that there is a small gap between the edge ofthe projection and the interior face of the inboard side wall of thebase shoe. The projection in combination with the gap between it and theinterior face of the inboard vertical side wall provides a pryingsurface that allows an installer to insert a chisel, pry bar or even ascrewdriver into the gap and pry against the projection to separate thetaper plate from the inboard side wall of the base shoe.

The above and other features of the invention will become more apparentfrom the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a base shoe of the present inventionwhich incorporates dovetail grooves for weather seals with some partsremoved for clarity.

FIG. 2 is another sectional view of a base shoe of the present inventionshown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a side view of decorative cladding that may be applied to thebase shoe of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base shoe of FIG. 1 showing a glasspanel installed in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a close up perspective view of an embodiment of the weatherseal.

FIG. 6 is a close up perspective view of another embodiment of theweather seal.

FIG. 7 is a close up perspective view of an embodiment of the press-inweather seal of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a close up perspective view of another embodiment of thepress-in weather seal of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an elevation view of a base shoe viewed from one end with thetaper plate installed.

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a base shoe viewed from one end withoutthe glass panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. The invention may, however, may be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

With reference to FIG. 4 , an embodiment of the improved base shoeassembly 10 of the present invention is shown. The base shoe assembly 10features a base shoe 12 in the form of a channel section, which may besurrounded by decorative cladding 14. Inserted in the base shoe 12 is asafety weather seal 24 and a press-in weather seal 26, a continuousglass setting strip 28, a glass panel 30 and a pair of taper plates 62which secure the panel 30 in the base shoe 12.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the base shoe 12 features a firstinner side wall 16 having a top side 15 and a bottom side 17 oppositethe top side 15, a second inner side wall 18 also having a top side 19and a bottom side 21 opposite the top side 19, and a bottom wall 34adjacent to the bottom side 17 of the first inner side wall 16 and thebottom side 21 of the second inner side wall 18, the first inner sidewall 16, the second inner side wall 18, and the bottom wall 34 defininga base shoe channel 36 therebetween. The top side 15 of the first innerside wall 16 and the top side 19 of the second inner side wall 18 definean opening 23. The base shoe 12 may, optionally, be formed with aplurality of lightening passages 38 which may be of a variety ofcross-sectional shapes and serve to reduce the weight of the base shoe12. The base shoe 12 may also includes a dovetail groove 22 formed intoeach of the first and second inner side walls 16, 18, near the opening23 of the channel 36. The dovetail grooves 22 are configured to accepteither the safety weather seal 24 or the press-in weather seal 26.

A continuous setting strip 28 may be installed in the base shoe 12. Thecontinuous setting strip 28, typically made of plastic, is preferably ofL-shaped configuration and supports and protects the glass panel 30 fromcontact with the metallic walls of the base shoe 12. As such, thecontinuous setting strip 28 has a top arm 27 and a bottom arm 29projecting perpendicularly from the top arm 27. In some embodiments, thetop arm 27 and the bottom arm 29 may be two separate pieces. Thecontinuous setting strip 28 improves upon the prior design disclosed inthe '654 patent and '366 patents by replacing a plurality of individualsetting blocks which formerly supported and protected the glass panel30. The continuous setting strip 28 may be secured to the first innerwall 16 of the base shoe by a continuous tape strip 42. The continuoustape strip 42 improves upon the design shown in the '654 and '366patents by eliminating the need to individually glue the formerly usedsetting blocks into place.

The improved base shoe 12 also features another continuous tape strip 40placed on the top side 31 of the bottom arm 29 of the L-shaped surfaceof the continuous setting strip 28. The continuous tape strip 40 assistsin securing the glass panel 30 to the continuous setting strip 28. Thecontinuous tape strips 40, 42 may comprise double-sided adhesive tape.

As referenced above, the improved base shoe 12 of the present inventionfeatures dovetail grooves 22 formed into first inner side wall 16 andthe second inner side wall 18 of the base shoe 12 near their respectivetop sides 15, 19. The dovetail groove 22 allows for the use of thesafety weather seal 24 which will be typically located on an outboardfacing side 33 of a fully assembled base shoe assembly 10. The safetyweather seal 24 is configured with two projections 44 which engage theinterior side walls of the dovetail groove 22. Due to the nature of thisdesign, the safety weather seal 24 must be inserted into the dovetailgroove 22 prior to the insertion of a glass panel 30 into the base shoe12, i.e. the weather seal 24 cannot properly be inserted in the baseshoe 12 after installation of the glass panel 30. This design isadvantageous from a safety viewpoint.

Frequently, glass walls rill be installed at the border of drop-offs.With the previous press-in seal design (as referenced in the '366 and'654 patents), it has been observed that some installers have a habit ofinstalling the weather seals as the last step in the installation. Thisrequires an installer to lean over the glass wall to install theoutboard weather seal which presents a safety risk. The new safetyweather seal 24 eliminates this risk because it cannot be inserted aftera glass panel 30 has been installed in the base shoe 12. Because thesafety weather seal 24 must be installed prior to installation of aglass panel 30, it eliminates the risk of falling that occurs wheninstaller reaches over an installed railing to install the safetyweather seal 24 at the outboard side of the glass panel to the base shoeinterface.

With reference to FIG. 5 , an enlarged perspective view of the safetyweather seal 24 of the present invention base shoe assembly 10 is shown.The safety weather seal 24 includes a body section 46 having a top side51, a bottom side 53 opposite the top side 51, a lateral side 55adjacent to the top side 51 and the bottom side 53, and a medial side 57opposite the lateral side 55 and adjacent to the top side 51 and thebottom side 53. The lateral side 55 of the safety weather seal 24interfaces with the first inner side wall 16 and the medial side 57interfaces with the glass panel 30.

In preferred embodiment, the bottom side 53 is non-parallel to the topside 51. Specifically, moving from the lateral side 55 to the medialside 57, the bottom side 53 may angle towards the top side 51.Therefore, the lateral side 55 may be taller than the medial side 57 asshown in FIG. 5 . The body section 46 may further comprise one or moresafety weather seal channels 59 extending the length of the body section46 to facilitate compressibility of the body section 46.

Extending from the lateral side 55 of the body section 46 is a dovetailgroove engagement portion 52 which terminates with a pair of opposingprojections 44. The projections 44 are connected to the body section 46by a stem 43. The projections 44 may form a 90 degree angle with thestem 43. In the preferred embodiment, the projections 44 form an obliqueangle with the stem 43. More preferably, the projections 44 form anacute angle with the stem 43, thereby creating an arrow shape whenviewed in cross-section.

The safety weather seal 24 also includes at least one glass scraper seal50 protruding from the medial side 57. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5comprises three glass scraper seals 50. In the preferred embodiment, atleast one of the glass scraper seals 50 may be angled towards the topside 51.

FIG. 6 shows the safety weather seal 24 with four glass scraper seals50. In addition, the bottom side 53, rather than being flat, is tapered.

On the lateral side 55, the safety weather seal 24 also includes alateral lip 48 adjacent to the dovetail groove engagement portion 52.The lateral lip 48 covers a gap at the outboard glass panel 30 to baseshoe 12 interface.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the press-in weather seal 26of the present invention. The press-in weather seal 26 includes bodysection 61 having a top side 71, a bottom side 73 opposite the top side,a lateral side 75 adjacent to the top side 71 and the bottom side 73,and a medial side 77 opposite the lateral side 75 and adjacent to thetop side 71 and the bottom side 73. The lateral side 75 of the press-inweather seal 26 interfaces with the second inner side wall 18. In thepreferred embodiment, the bottom side 73 is tapered so as to narrow incross-sectional width moving away from the top side 71.

Extending from the body section 61 on the lateral side 75 is a dovetailgroove engagement portion 54 that may be pressed into the dovetailgroove 22 on the second inner side wall 18 after a glass panel 30 hasbeen installed in the base shoe 12. In some embodiments, the dovetailgroove engagement portion 54 may project outwardly from the body section61 at a right angle or upwardly towards the top side 71.

The lateral side 75 of the press-in seal 26 further comprises a laterallip 56, which covers any gap between the body section 61 and the innerside wall of the base shoe 12 when the dovetail groove engagementportion 54 is engaged with the dovetail groove 22.

The press-in weather seal 26 may also include a medial lip 60 projectingaway from the body section 61 on the medial side 77 along the top side71, which covers a gap at the glass panel 30 to base shoe interface. Inthe preferred embodiment, the medial lip 60 is angled upwardly away fromthe bottom side 73. The press-in weather seal 26 may also include one ormore glass scraper seals 58 on the medial side 77, which seals the gapat the glass panel 30 to base shoe 12 interface. In the preferredembodiment, the glass scraper seals 58 may also be angled upwardlytowards the top side 71 and away from the bottom side 73.

The body section 61 may further comprise one or more press-in weatherseal channels 80 extending the length of the body section 61 tofacilitate compressibility of the body section 61.

FIG. 8 shows the press-in weather seal 26 with additional dovetailgroove engagement portions 54 as well additional glass scraper seals 58.In the preferred embodiment, the lowest dovetail groove engagementportion 54 and the lowest glass scraper seal 58 may transition into thetapered bottom side 73, thereby forming an arrowhead shape as shown inFIG. 8 .

The safety weather seal 24 and press-in weather seal 26 may be made froma variety of elastomeric compounds.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 , additional features of the improvedshoe assembly 10 of the present invention are shown while othercomponents have been removed for clarity. FIGS. 9 and 10 show theimproved taper plates 62, which feature a continuous projection 64 alonga top surface of the taper plate 62. The projection 64 rests in a recess66 formed into the second inner Gall 18 of the base shoe 12. The recess66 has a recess depth 68 and a recess width 70. The taper plate 62,equipped with the projection 64, and the recess depth 68 of the recess66, are configured such that there is a small gap 72 between the edge ofthe projection 64 and the second inner side wall of the base shoe 12.Experimentation has shown that a recess width 70 of 1/32 inch and arecess depth 68 of 5/16 inch are suitable dimensions for the recess 66.The projection 64 in combination with the gap 72 between the projectionand the interior face of the second side wall 18 of the base shoe 12provides a prying surface that allows an installer to insert a pryingdevice into the gap and pry against the projection 64 to separate thetaper plate 62 from the second side wall of the base shoe 12.

The show assembly may also comprise a groove cover 79 for when thedovetail grooves are not in use. The groove cover 79 can be placed overthe dovetail grooves 22 and may extend along the full length of thedovetail groove.

With reference to FIG. 10 , with regard to the recess depth 68 of therecess 66 on the second inner side wall 18 of the base shoe 12, a depthof 5/16 inch to ⅜ inch has been found by experimentation to work wellwith the improved base shoe 12 and taper plate 62 of the presentinvention. The recess depth 68 also allows for the use of larger moreeffective weather seals.

With reference to FIG. 4 , a representation of decorative cladding 14which may be placed on the improved base shoe 12 of the presentinvention is shown. The decorative cladding will typically be made fromstainless steel, brass, anodized aluminum or other material having avisually attractive surface finish.

The foregoing detailed description and appended drawings are intended asa description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention arenot intended to represent the only forms in which the present inventionmay be constructed and/or utilized. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that modifications and alternative embodiments of the presentinvention which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the foregoingspecification and drawings, and of the claims appended below arepossible and practical. It is intended that the claims cover all suchmodifications and alternative embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe assembly, comprising: a. a base shoe,comprising: a first inner side wall, a second inner side wall, and abottom wall, the first inner side wall, second inner side and bottomwall defining a base shoe channel; a first dovetail groove formed in thefirst inner side wall and a second dovetail groove formed in the secondinner side wall; and b. a continuous setting strip comprising a top arm,a bottom arm and, a channel for the receipt of a first continuous tapestrip, wherein the continuous setting strip is positioned inside thebase shoe channel and the first continuous tape strip secures thecontinuous setting strip to the base shoe.
 2. The shoe assembly of claim1, further comprising a second continuous tape strip mounted on thebottom arm of the continuous setting strip.
 3. The shoe assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising a safety weather seal, the safety weatherseal comprising: a. a dovetail groove engagement portion extending froma lateral side of the safety weather seal, the dovetail grooveengagement portion terminating at a pair of opposing projectionsconfigured to engage the first dovetail groove; b. a lateral lipprotruding from a top side of the safety weather seal on the lateralside adjacent to the dovetail groove engagement portion; and c. at leastone medial glass scraper seal protruding from a medial side of thesafety weather seal.
 4. The shoe assembly of claim 1, further comprisinga press-in weather seal, the press-in weather seal comprising: a. adovetail groove engagement portion extending from the press-in weatherseal on a lateral side of the press-in weather seal to engage the seconddovetail groove; b. a lateral lip for covering a gap between thepress-in weather seal and the second inner side wall of the base shoewhen the dovetail groove engagement portion is engaged with the seconddovetail groove; c. a medial lip projecting away from the press-inweather seal at a top side of the press-in weather seal; and d. at leastone glass scraper seal extending from a medial side of the press-inweather seal opposite the lateral side.
 5. A shoe assembly, comprising:a. a base shoe, comprising: a first inner side wall, a second inner sidewall, a bottom wall, the first inner side wall, second inner side andbottom wall defining a base shoe channel; a first dovetail groove formedin the first inner side wall and a second dovetail groove formed in thesecond inner side wall; and b. a continuous setting strip comprising atop arm, a bottom arm and a channel for the receipt of a firstcontinuous tape strip, wherein the continuous setting strip ispositioned inside the base shoe channel and the first continuous tapestrip secures the continuous setting strip to the base shoe; and c. asafety weather seal, comprising: i. a body section having a top side, abottom side, a lateral side, and a medial side, and ii. a dovetailgroove engagement portion extending from the lateral side of the bodysection, the dovetail groove engagement portion terminating at a pair ofopposing projections for engaging the first dovetail groove.
 6. The shoeassembly of claim 5, wherein the safety weather seal further comprises alateral lip protruding frons the top side of the body section on thelateral side adjacent to the dovetail groove engagement portion.
 7. Theshoe assembly of claim 5, wherein the safety weather seal furthercomprises at least one medial glass scraper seal protruding from themedial side.
 8. The shoe assembly of claim 5, wherein the safety weatherseal further comprises one or more safety weather seal channelsextending a length of the body section.
 9. The shoe assembly of claim 5,wherein the bottom side of the safety weather seal is tapered.
 10. Theshoe assembly of claim 6, further comprising a press-in weather seal,the press-in weather seal comprising: a. a body section having a topside, a bottom side, a lateral side, and a medial side, wherein thebottom side is tapered; b. a dovetail groove engagement portionextending from the body section on the lateral side; c. a lateral lipprojecting away from the body section for covering a gap between thebody section and the second inner side wall of the base shoe when thedovetail groove engagement portion is engaged with the second dovetailgroove; and d. at least one glass scraper seal extending from the medialside of the body section.
 11. The shoe assembly of claim 5, furthercomprising a second continuous tape strip mounted on the bottom arm ofthe continuous setting strip.
 12. A shoe assembly, comprising: a. a baseshoe, the base shoe comprising: a first inner side wall, a second innerside wall, and a bottom wall, the first inner side wall, second innerside and bottom wall defining a base shoe channel; a first dovetailgroove formed in the first inner side wall and a second dovetail grooveformed in the second inner side wall; and b. a press-in weather seal,the press-in weather seal comprising: i. a body section having a topside, a bottom side, a lateral side, and a medial side, and ii. adovetail groove engagement portion extending from the body section onthe lateral side for engaging the second dovetail groove; and c. acontinuous setting strip comprising a top arm and a bottom arm, thecontinuous setting strip positioned inside the base shoe channel and, achannel for the receipt of a first continuous tape strip wherein thefirst continuous tape strip secures the continuous setting strip to thebase shoe.
 13. The shoe assembly of claim 12, wherein the press-inweather seal further comprises a lateral lip for covering a gap betweenthe body section and the second inner side wall of the base shoe whenthe dovetail groove engagement portion is engaged with the seconddovetail groove.
 14. The shoe assembly of claim 12, wherein the press-inweather seal further comprises a medial lip projecting away from thebody section at the top side of the body section of the press-in weatherseal.
 15. The shoe assembly of claim 12, wherein the press-in weatherseal further comprises at least one glass scraper seal extending fromthe medial side.
 16. The shoe assembly of claim 12, wherein the press-inweather seal further comprises at least one press-in weather sealchannel extending a length of the body section.
 17. The shoe assembly ofclaim 12, wherein the bottom side of the press-in weather seal istapered.
 18. The shoe assembly of claim 12, further comprising: a secondcontinuous tape strip mounted on the bottom arm of the continuoussetting strip.
 19. The shoe assembly of claim 12, further comprising asafety weather seal, the safety weather seal comprising: a. a bodysection having a top side, a bottom side, a lateral side and a medialside, and one or more safety weather seal channels extending a length ofthe body section; b. a dovetail groove engagement portion extending fromthe lateral side of the body section, the dovetail groove engagementportion terminating at a pair of opposing projections; c. a lateral lipprotruding from the top side of the body section on the lateral sideadjacent to the dovetail groove engagement portion; and d. at least oneglass scraper seal protruding from the medial side.